More than 100 Poets boarded three buses from campus to the Mark Taper Forum in Downtown Los Angeles to see the Broadway hit Zoot Suit. Written and directed by Luis Valdez, Zoot Suit tells the tale of young Chicanos in the early 1940s and depicts the Pachuco lifestyle. Although based on historical events, the play touches on timely issues related to race relations. The engaged audience responded with a standing ovation.
In addition to the trip, the Department of Theatre hosted a panel discussion to give a historical perspective of the story as well as the actual zoot suits, which play secondary characters in the production. The elaborate and colorful suits, worn mostly by working class young men of color, were considered political statements and a symbol of cultural pride. Zoot suiters became targets of racial profiling and violence during WWII.
Valdez visited campus in the fall to talk to students about his career and the play, which debuted in 1979 and was the first Chicano play on Broadway. Alma Martinez ’84, who was part of the original cast, joined him on campus.
